It is well known that insects in general can cause significant damage, not only to crops grown in agriculture, but also, for example, to structures and turf where the damage is caused by soil-borne insects, such as termites and white grubs. Such damage may result in the loss of millions of dollars of value associated with a given crop, turf or structures. Although there are many orders of insects that can cause significant crop damage, insects, for example, of the order “Homoptera” are of major importance. The suborder Homoptera includes, for example, aphids, leafhoppers, cicadas, whiteflies, and mealybugs, to name a few. Homoptera have piercing/sucking mouthparts, enabling them to feed by withdrawing sap from vascular plants. Insect damage from homoptera is manifested in several different ways, other than damage caused by direct feeding. For example, many species excrete honeydew, a sticky waste product that adheres to plants upon which the insect feeds and lives. Honeydew alone causes cosmetic injury to crop plants. Sooty molds will often grow on honeydew, making food products or ornamental plants look unappealing, thereby reducing their cosmetic and economic value. Some homoptera have toxic saliva that is injected into plants while they are feeding. The saliva can cause plant damage through disfigurement and in some instances plant death. Homoptera can also vector disease-causing pathogens. Unlike direct damage, it does not take a large number of disease-vectoring insects to cause considerable damage to crop plants.
Thus, there is a continuing demand for new insecticides, and for new acaricides that are safer, more effective, and less costly. Insecticides and acaricides are useful for controlling insects and acarids which may otherwise cause significant damage both above and below the soil level to crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, potatoes, and cotton to name a few. For crop protection, insecticides and acaricides are desired which can control the insects and acarids without damaging the crops, and which have no deleterious effects to mammals and other living organisms.
A number of patents disclose some alkanediamine compounds that are reported to be insecticidally active. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,553 discloses certain insecticidal alkylenediamine compounds of the general formula I:
where    W1 is a five- or six-membered heterocyclic group, which may be substituted, containing at least one heteroatom selected from —O—, —S—, and —N—;    R1, R2, and R3 are hydrogen or alkyl;    R4 is hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, dialkylamino, alkoxyalkyl, alkylthioalkyl, or —CH2—W2— in which W2 has the same meaning as W1;    X is —S—, —NR5—, or a single bond, in which R5 is hydrogen or alkyl, and in the case where X is —NR5—, the group —NR4R5—, in the formula I may have the same meaning as the group
    Y is —N—, or ═CR6—, in which R6 is hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, acyl, alkoxycarbonyl, or cyano;    Z is cyano or nitro; and,    A is ethylene or trimethylene, which may be substituted with alkyl.
Published Japanese Patent Application 08269035A discloses certain tetrahydrofuran-3-ylmethyl derivatives of the general formula I:
where    R1 and R2 are hydrogen, or optionally substituted C1-C5-alkyl; R3-R5 are hydrogen, optionally substituted C1-C5-alkyl, optionally substituted C2-C5-alkenyl, or optionally substituted C2-C5-alkynyl; n is 2-5; R6 is hydrogen or C1-C3-alkyl; X is CH or N; Y is NO2 or C≡N; a R3 and R4 together may form a ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,857 claims compounds of the following general formula that are useful as accelerators for the vulcanization of rubber:(CN)2C═C(S-A-NRR1)2 where    A is alkylene of 2-4 carbon atoms, and R and R1 independently are lower alkyl, araalkyl of 7-10 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 5-8 carbon atoms or R and R1 together with the nitrogen is a heterocyclic radical of 4-8 carbon atoms.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,134 discloses a method of controlling microorganisms using compounds of the following general formula:
where    R1 is selected from R2SOy, H, and (C1-C18)alkyl;    R and R2 are independently selected from (C1-C18)alkyl;    R and R2 can be joined, together with the atoms to which they are attached, to form a 5-membered or 6-membered saturated or unsaturated ring, said ring optionally fused to a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl ring;    R and R1 can be joined, together with the atoms to which they are attached, to form a 5-membered or 6-membered saturated or unsaturated ring;    R3 is selected from H, and (C1-C6)alkyl;    R1 and R3 or R and R3 can be joined, together with the atoms to which they are attached, to form a 5-membered or 6-membered unsaturated ring;    x=1 or 2; and    y=0, 1, or 2.
There is no disclosure or suggestion in any of the above-referenced patents or patent application of the structures and insecticidal and acaricidal activity of the compounds of the present invention.